The appeal came Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the Africa Trade Summit 2026, a three day gathering focused on advancing the continent’s economic transformation. Mahama assigned specific responsibilities to different stakeholders in Africa’s industrial transformation. The Africa Trade Summit 2026 is organized by the African Trade Chamber in partnership with the Government of Ghana. The summit coincided with an official visit to Ghana by President Carlos Manuel Vila Nova of São Tomé and Príncipe, who attended the opening ceremony alongside President Mahama. President Mahama also highlighted Ghana’s own efforts to shift away from a commodity export dependent economy by promoting domestic processing, reducing imports and increasing export earnings.